Ahead of the upcoming release of iOS 10, Apple has revealed some of the apps that will be integrated with Siri, Apple’s digital assistant, thanks to the introduction of SiriKit.

At WWDC in June, Apple expanded Siri with the introduction of SiriKit, which allows developers to incorporate the intelligence of Siri directly into their apps. SiriKit enables natural language voice speech queries allowing users to book a ride, search photos, make payments, message and call friends using only their voice.

In the lead up to the release, Apple has announced the various things you will be able to do with Siri, including booking an Uber, calling a work colleague with Cisco Spark, messaging a friend on WhatsApp, or sending them a payment with Monzo, with more to come.

Apps that have integrated with Siri

Hail a ride with Uber, Lyft, Didi Chuxing, more

Ride-hailing companies like China’s Didi Chuxing Technology Co., who recently received a $1 billion investment from Apple, Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and mytaxi (Intelligent Apps GmbH) have all incorporated Siri, making it easier to book a ride.  

When you need to order a ride, there is no need to open the relevant ride-hailing app, simply ask Siri to book you one.

Examples of the commands you can use include, “Get me a Lyft to SFO”, or “Hey Siri, take me home in an UberX.” You can also be less specific and simply say “Get me an Uber to [destination],” after which the Uber app will provide you with the different options available like, UberX, UberPOOL, UberBLACK, etc, together with the relevant fair estimate and waiting time.

Make calls to friends and colleagues

In Apple’s blog post it shows how with the integration with Siri, it will be even easier to make calls to friends and colleagues via Skype, Cisco Spark, and Vonage Essentials.

Calling a friend via Skype using Siri is simple, just say “Call Lisa on Skype.” If you have more than one Lisa listed in your contacts, you will need to clarify which one you want to call, and then you will be connected. Microsoft Corp. recently updated Skype with additional iOS 10 features, with new features coming to business users soon. 

The Cisco Spark app, from Cisco Systems Ltd., on iOS 10 will provide enterprise users with the ability to make seamless calls using Siri. Built on the Cisco Collaboration cloud, Cisco Spark allows its customers to message, meet, or call anyone, at anytime from anywhere.

Say “Call John Ford on Spark,” and the Cisco Spark app will connect the call based on the contact information that it has for John Ford, or it will search your iOS contacts if it doesn’t have the relevant information.

Another company that is taking advantage of SiriKit to make VoIP calls easier for its customers is Vonage Holdings Corp. with its Vonage Essentials product. Working in a similar way to Cisco Spark, users will be able to say “Hey Siri, using Essentials call Michael,” and the call will be connected.

The company also has future plans to incorporate SiriKit with other aspects of its product to allow for hands-free texting, VP Mobile Development for Vonage, Sagi Dudai, told TechCrunch. “The magic happens when Vonage starts doing more sophisticated development with iOS10, such as integrating business workflow, such as CRM software, with voice and messaging using Siri commands,” says Dudai.

Check out the video below to see how Vonage Essentials will work in iOS 10.

If you use your iPhone or iPad for work make sure your read our article for additional iOS 10 features for enterprise users.

Make payments using Square Cash or Monzo

Sending someone a payment has never been easier with the integration of Siri into Square Cash (Square, Inc.) and Monzo. Tell Siri, “Hey Siri, send Lindsey Welch $20 using Cash” or “Send Andy $10 using Monzo” and the payment will be sent. Monzo payments will need to be authenticated using TouchID.

Message friends with the help of Siri

Siri integration into messaging apps like WhatsApp and LinkedIn allow you to tell Siri what message you want to send. Commands can include “Send a WhatsApp message to Alice saying I’ll be there in 15 minutes” or “Send a LinkedIn message to John that says great meeting today look forward to hearing more.” Siri will provide a preview of your message and then send it.

Easily search for photos on Pinterest, Looklive, more

Siri integration with Pinterest allows you to find saved Pins, both yours and others, by simply saying “Hey Siri, find men’s fashion Pins on Pinterest” or use Siri to find the latest celebrity fashion on Looklive.

The integration of Siri with Pikazo allows you to search for specific photos and have them presented in a certain style. Simply say “Hey Siri, show me a photo of my daughter in the style of Monet on Pikazo.”

Source: Apple

Main image credit: iphonedigital; Flickr | Images via: Apple